speedtesting
If you are having problems with speeds, we will request that you carry our some testing.
We do this for a number of reasons;
1/ to rule out equipment causes at your end
For example if we book a tech to check the problem, and it lies beyond the network boundary point, you will incur an incorrect callout fee. By testing &attempting to rule out equipment errors at your end, we are doing our best to avoid this possible charge, on your behalf.
2/ to ensure that the problem cannot be easily fixed by a simple procedure or that the problem is related to some other cause.
For example, if your telephone line is noisy or has a fault this may cause problems with your service.
3/ to collect as much information to allow us to pinpoint the issue & correct it as soon as possible
We are not getting you to run tests merely because we want to waste your time. We want to identify & fix the problem as quickly as possible.
However, if you cannot supply us with the necessary information, then the whole fault process is slowed down, & a lot of back & forthing ensues to attempt to gain the info that we need.
Poor speed can be caused by many factors, from the condition of your telephone cable in the street, to bad wiring in your house, to faulty splitter/filters, to electrically noisy equipment nearby, to faulty surgeboards, to issues at the telephone exchange, to viruses or other malware or at our end & so on.
We need to establish where the problem lies, in order to be able to rectify it. If you follow these simple steps, & send us the results, we can work out what is causing the issue.
Initially we need to know
a) Brand & Model of your modem
Note: sometimes your modem may not be compatible - especially with ADSL 2 services, or may have a know issue that a firmware upgrade can resolve
b) is modem connected to computer via ethernet , usb or wireless?
Note: USB connections will generally be slower than Ethernet, &, depending on conditions, wireless connections may also detrimentally effect your speeds.
c) how many other computers are using the internet connection?
Note: If more than one computer is sharing the connection, it may be downloading or uploading data which will take up bandwidth on your connection
Step 1 – Switch your modem/router off for 5 minutes & then switch it back on. When it restarts, please check speed again.
(sometimes this is all it takes as the Modem's cache can need to be cleared)
Step 2 - Check that you have a filter on every telephone device in the house, including all faxes etc - you do need one
Note: without filters on each telephone device your speed can be effected significantly. In addition the total number of all devices on your telephone service cannot exceed 3. This includes phones, modem., fax machines etc
Step 3 - Pick up your telephone handset & dial "1" listen to the line, can you hear a noise like frying eggs? If so, contact your voice provider & report a fault.
Step 4 - close all bandwidth intensive programs, like Bit Torrent etc & navigate to http://speedtest.ispone.com.au
run two speed tests & copy & save the results so that you can send them to us
(To copy, use the Copy button or select all the text in the black box)
Why do we use this site? Here is a good example of speed test sites & their variations, on one of our connections.
The first test is from DSL Reports & is their Java Based test
The second test is also from DSL Reports & is their Flash Based test
The third test is from www.speedtest.net using the Melbourne Server
And here is the result from http://speedtest.ispone.com.au
Down: 470.75 KBs (3766 Kbps)
Up: 38.875 KBs (311 Kbps)
The numbers we are interested in are the kbps or mbps
DSL reports claims this connection is 1.719Mbps or 1.166Mbps
Speedtest.net claims this connection is 4.33Mbps
& our speedtester claims it is 3.766Mbps
What's the difference between KBs & Kbps or Mbps?
Step 5 - Unplug all telephones & telephone equipment & their associated filters in your house. Plug the telephone cable to the modem, directly into the telephone wall socket. Then, again with no bandwidth intensive apps running, go to http://speedtest.ispone.com.au & run two further speed tests.
copy save the results so that you can send them to us
(To copy, use the Copy button or select all the text in the black box)
Step 6 - switch your modem off again for two minutes, & then back on
This last off & on gives us a start & an end to a session with tests, so that we can further analyse data
Step 7 – go to http://speedtest.ispone.com.au and run two further tests at another time of day copy save the results so that you can send them to us
(To copy, use the Copy button or select all the text in the black box)
Step 8 – go to http://speedtest.ispone.com.au and run two further tests at another time of day copy save the results so that you can send them to us
(To copy, use the Copy button or select all the text in the black box)
Another useful test, to check for any rogue applications on your computer is to run the "ten minute idle" test
Leave your computer running, but with no applications or programs running
Switch your modem off for 5 mins
Switch it back on again & record the time that you turned it back on
Wait until the modem connects & then leave it connected for 10 mins
Switch the modem back off for 5 mins - record the time that you turned it off
email us the times that you switched modem on & then off - that way we can pinpoint the exact session that the modem was on for the Idle test, & see if any data transferred, even while everything is just idling.
We need to have this information in your reply email:
a) Brand & Model of your modem
b) is modem connected to computer via ethernet , usb or wireless?
c) how many other computers are using the internet connection?
Speed test as is – Step 4 (Baseline)
Speed test in isolation – Step 5 (to rule out phones & filter problems)
Speed tests in morning, middle of day & evening ( step 4 or 5 plus 6 & 7 )
(one of these test can be the test as / is and/or isolation test) To check for possible contention issues
email your all results to support@australis.net along with your username